When escalators and moving walkways are erected in the field, the field installer will drill and tap screw holes in the skirt panels, which holes will match deck panel holes that are predrilled in the factory. Screws are then used to secure the two panels together in overlapping fashion. This procedure is time-consuming, and relies on the gripping power of the tapped holes in the skirt panels. Since these panels are relatively thin, the strength of the connection is undesirably weak, and the likelihood that the threads in the tapped holes will strip is high. Another drawback to the present system relates to the difficulty in reconnecting the panels in the field once they have been disconnected, since realignment of the skirt and deck holes must be achieved to reattach the two panels together.